Antiwashing construction for roads



T. H. FARRELL.

ANTIWASHING CONSTRUCTION FOR ROADS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I8, 1920.. v

Patented June 20, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

ATTORNEY T. H. FARRELI..v

ANTlWASHING CONSTRUCTION FOR ROADS. APPLlcATloN FILED Nov. 1a, 1920.

1,420,535, PatentedJune 20, 1922.- I

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wrrN Ess's 'INV'EN-rolra, i v

l ,naires s'iaiss ear THOMAS H'. FARRELL, or FORT COLLINS, COLORADO.

ANTTWASHING CONSTRUCTION FOR ROADS.

Laaase.

' To all whom t may/ concerm face with considerable force and in con` siderable quantities, lwhich yconditions may occur in hilly'country particularly, there is a liability of gulleys or ditches forming during a rain storni or whenever water flows down the hill, and Such` gulleys may enlarge until the road surfacer becomes difficultof Y travel or the gulleys may form to such depth as to vmake travel dangerous or render the roadway impassable-,- particularly to` automobiles and Y under -certainv conditions 'to` horse-drawn vehiclesf' 1 In accordance withthe invention retardingdevices are provided to be installed in the road surface atffrequent intervals and in the -path/ of water flowing by gravity forms at the sides'and'also provided with 435 from the left-hand end.

downthey hill, the ret'arding devices being', inL some instances, provided with gutter gutter forms of shallow` depth extending I crosswise of 'the roadway vand vpreferably',

trending angularly,` with relation to the width 'of the' road, in a down hill'direction.

,Thegutt'erside ofthe retarding devices, in their installed position,fis arranged on that side of the road toward higher ground and the guttersv are so arranged'as to direct the waterfor Vthel major portion thereof,

across the roadwayto the side toward lower ground to divert the water awayl fromthe roadway so that no washing streams of water may be formed. In' this way the production of ruts or gulleys is avoidedsince the-retardT ing devices are` so made yas'gto resistvwear, andincreasing volumes'of water alongy fixed paths are prevented. f` l g l y YThe retarding devices may be made of ceinent and are sunk. in the' roadways sufciently "to provide approaches preventing destructive rrwear, Vwhilel the cross V'glitters Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 20', Application filed November ,18, 1920. Serial No.i424,883."

are made shallow andof The invention Ywill be best understoodfroma consideration of the following de Y tailed description taken inV connection with the accompanying drawingy forming part of this specification, withthe understanding,

however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing in the drawing, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modi# ications marky no material departure fromthe vsalient features ofthe invention as ex# pressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing: Fig. 1Y 's a longitudinal vertical section ofthe roadway where provided with a re'- tarding device.

Fig. 2 is a'` plan view of the Varrangement shown inV Fig. l.

Fig. 3 isa perspective'view of one of the i retarding devices Vremoved from the roadway;Y T t F ig.4 isja planview of one ,ofthe retard*`A ing deviceswhere the -cross' gutter is at` an angle vto the line of travel and to al direction crosswise of the roadway.

Fig. 5 isa section cross'wise of the road# way indicating a crown form thereof.V

Fig; 6 is a planview of afinodified forni' of theV invention;H j

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal'lsectionof Fig. 6, like thatofv Fig. i Fig. 8 is an elevation of Fig. AGlas seen "Referring to v'the drawing,'Figs.i1, 2 and 3, there is Ashown a roadway lvwhich may*- be .considered as extending down hill from the left hand end to the right hand end, as

'viewed in F igsl and 2.l In hilly ormoun .tainousi regions, roadways `are ,frequently formed on the Sides of hills Slanting cross- Vwise'of the roadway `as well as lengthwise thereof, and* insuch 'cases the roadway may --havela high Side 2 and a low side 3Y and between` these two sides the`roadway is fre'- quently crowned, although the crowning may be omitted. l 4 l 1 Sunken for "a' 'distance into theroadway 1 is a bloclrt of suitable material, Vsuch `asv cement. 'This block may b e formed of one or niore pieces andfis kof generally rectangular shape in outline, sloping from ends 5 and 6 toward a central part where the block is provided with a transversed gutter, either ioc extending straight across, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, where the gutter is indicated at 7 or having the gutter diagonally a-rranged as indicated at 8 in Fig. 4. Along that side of theblock rising transversely of the hill as distinguished from the length of the hill is an up and down gutter 9 having the up-hill end low and rising therefrom toward a high point 10 of the block 4 where the rise of the gutter 9 stops at a lower level than the high point 1() and then gradually drops, as indicated at 11, to the low end of the block 4. The high point of the longitudinal gutter, which high point is indicated at 12, is as high or higher than the depression of the gutter 7 but lower than the high point 10 kof the block 4, whereby, water gravitating down the side gutter i) is retarded by the rising end of such gutter and on passing from the high point 12 of the gutter flows on down the hill with a portion of the water directed into the gutter 7 to pass across the roadway and finally escape on the laterally down hillside of the blocl 4. In this manner water flowing down the roadway, on reaching the block 4, is materially retarded in its flow and a material portion of the water is diverted from the direct path down the roadway to one side to escape on the low side of the road and be so spread as to do noharm to the roadway, while the water and wear resistant block 4 prevents the formation of ruts or gulleys in the surface of the road.

The ends 5 and 6 of the block 4 taper sufficiently toward their outer portions to be well covered by the roadway surfacing encroaching on the block, which later is eX- posed only adjacent to the gutter 7 or 8 as the case may be. rlhe longitudinal gutter 9 may also be in part covered by the roadway whereby the block 4 is effectively an'- chored in place. On the side of the long gutter toward the adjacent bank of the road there is an 11p-standing shield 13 protectingt-he upper side of the road from wash or caving. The approach 6 toward the gutter 7 is gradual and rises slightly above the gutter 7V to form an extended ridge 14 of such length and gentle slope in the direction of travel as to avoid any sudden jar to a vehicle. The ridge or high point 10 is also relatively long and gradual in the direction of travel andk may be rounded where it mergesinto the end 5 of the block 4 so that the gutter 7 has little or no noticeable effect upon a vehicle traveling upon the road.

The gutter 8 being diagonal of the line of travel, also has but little effect upon a passing vehicle but necessitates an elongation of the sideof the block 4 over the side provided with the longitudinal gutter 9.

'1t frequently happens in a dirt road that the wheels of a vehicle will cause ruts 15,

as shown in Fig. 2, to be formed in the surface ofthe road. These ruts confine water flowing down the roadway to narrow paths with the result that the ruts deepen and widen and ultimately produce gulleys finally becoming impassable to vehicles and often times causing the destruction of the vroadway. By placing the blocks 4 at suitable intervals, they form with their gutters 7 or 8 substantially lnon-destructible riffles pre-V venting the water flowing down the road from attaining considerable velocity and wholly prevent the formation of destructive or impa'ssable conditions. The riffles distribute the water and are'so formed as to offer no material interference to the pas.- sage of the vehicles.

In Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the block 4 is replaced by another block 4a formed with a diagonally located riffle rib 7, serving the purpose of the gutter 7 or 8' in Figs.v 1 and 4.

The gutter rib 7 a is arranged diagonally so4 that water reachingthe up-hillend ofthe block 4a will be diverted thereby toward the other side of the block and be retarded andv spread out in such manner as to avoid formation of ruts or gulleys, while at the same time, because of its shallownesssthe gutter rib 7a and the diagonal placing of such rib, prevents any interference with; theY passage of vehicles. The upper and lower ends of the block 4a on opposite sides of thev gutter rib 7aV taper in thickness to form surfaces 5a, 6a which may be covered by approaches 1a (see Fig. 7 partially overlying theblock 4aM so that the block is imbedded in the roadwav to a sufficient depth. y

To `avoid under-washing of the blocks 4 or 4a as the case may be, the corners of these blocks are furnished withV guards 16 diverting ruiming water which' may` reach the blocks from undermining the corners of the blocks. The guards need be but about?) inches in width and rise from the blocks above the surface of the ground at the sides of the blocks for a distance of about 2inches, more or less. These guards 16 extend up and down the roadway for a short distance and on the gutter side of the block 4. In the showing of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, these guards do not encroachy upon the gutter 9, but merge into the body of the guardwith the high portion of the guard stopping `short on the high portion of the block so as to leavethe passageway 17 'for the flow of water crosswise of theV roadway. That is claimed is:

1. In road construction, afriffle block for insertion in the roadway, said blockbeing of a length and width to extend along the roadway in the line of' travel and across the roadway from substantially side to side of the traveled surface thereof, said rifiie block having water-diverting. means vextending in a continuous manner from side to iio side of the roadway with said means of a depth and sufliciently extended to offer no material impediment to the travel of the vehicle along the line of travel..

2. In road construction, a rifle block resistant to wear of water flowing along the road and provided with water-diverting means extending in a continuous manner crosswise of the roadway, the diverting means slanting from one side of the roadway toward the other and at a lower level at one end than at the other end whereby water is caused'to How crosswise of the roadway with a downward trend.

3. In road construction, a riliie block of a length and width to extend from one side of the road to the other across the line of travel and to extend in the direction of the line of travel, the rilile block having waterdiverting means extending crosswise of the road surface and the block being provided with gradually tapering ends to be covered by the surfacing of the roadway with the water-diverting means rising above the roadway.

4. In road construction, a rilile block of a length and width to extend from one side of the road to the other across the line of travel and to extend in the direction of the line of travel, the rifl'le block having an elevated water-diverting means extending crosswise of the road surface and also provided with taper ends to be covered Vby the.

surfacing of the roadway, said riflle block also having a lengthwise gutter at one side of the roadway rising from the receiving end and ldischarging against the crosswise .Y

water-diverting. means.

5. In road construction,` a rifHe block vfor insertion in the roadway, said block being.

tending diagonally across the block fr0-m a high point on one side to a low point on the other, and of an elevation and extent to offer no material impediment to the passage of the vehicle -along the line of travel, and the block at corner portions, provided with guards extending lengthwise of the blocks and rising labove the road surface to an extent to prevent under washing vof A the block at the corners.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, l have hereto alixed my signature.. t

THOMAS H. FARRELL. 

